Wednesday, July 24, 2024

Weekly Roundup 28: Touchstones

During the pandemic, someone in my neighborhood began leaving beautifully painted stones around to be enjoyed by whoever happened upon them. I was always delighted to find one and would often take a picture. 

Not long ago, someone wedged one of the stones between two tree trunks:

and now whenever I pass, I touch it.

Touchstone is a word with an interesting evolution. It originally meant a literal dark-colored stone used to test precious metals. Gold or silver was rubbed against it, and the resulting streak was analyzed for purity.

The word later took on a more general meaning as a criterion for determining quality or legitimacy of goods or services. Flakiness, for example, is the touchstone of a great croissant. A touchstone can also refer to a fundamental part or feature, such as the touchstone album of a particular decade.

And it seems that the meaning has morphed again, to what Urban Dictionary refers to as a person of importance, a significant other, who completes you and offers unconditional love, ie your "rock".

Then there's a cultural touchstone, which is an event or phenomenon that connects people to a certain time or place. 

Or, you know, just put your hand on a stone :-)

Stay safe, stay cool, see you next week!


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